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The fate of Millennium’s Eastern System Upgrade Project is in the hands of the NYSDEC:

Tell them to DENY Millennium’s Misleading Permit Applications Now!

Public Hearing and Comment Period

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has announced a Public Comment Hearing on July 27th and a Public Comment Period ending August 4thfor several permit applications for the Millennium Pipeline Company, LLC’s Eastern System Upgrade Project (ESU) that the agency has deemed complete.

While Millennium tells us that the ESU Project includes two new compressors unusually close to one another, 7.8 miles of new high pressure pipeline cutting through the Upper Delaware River watershed, and additional above ground apertures, access roads and construction sites—an expert report and comments from the US Environmental Protection Agency make clear Millennium’s true project is far greater. The project in fact includes the Valley Lateral Connector Project and CPV powerplant, as well as likely including construction of a whole new second pipeline already anticipated. Read more about the project here.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) clearly intends to approve this ESU Project with a rubber stamp as usual. But the NYSDEC has the power to say “no” to Millennium’s permits and they need to hear WHY they should do just that from you. Air, water, wetlands, public health and the local economy will all be affected.

The NYSDEC can really make a difference and this may be one of our last opportunities to do so on this project. At the conclusion of the public comment period NYSDEC will determine whether substantive or significant issues have been raised in the public comments that necessitate further review and public participation, or whether the permits should be issued without any further review. NYSDEC needs to hear loudly and clearly the breadth and depth of concerns over this project from the public.

Tell the NYSDEC to deny all permits before them for the ESU project—

ESU permits should be rejected based on the impacts of Millennium’s ESU proposal alone. Even as proposed there will be serious water quality and air quality impacts from the Millennium ESU that demand NYDEC deny these Clean Water Act 401 Certification and Clean Air Act permits.

Millennium is misleading the NYSDEC as to the true scope of the pipeline project. Until that information has been provided by Millennium the NYDEDC should consider applications materials for the Millennium ESU to be materially deficient and not ready for NYDEC review. We do not want to see NYDEC misled into making an ill informed decision on a mere segmented piece of a much larger project to come.